The present invention relates to adjustable heel assemblies and shoes having adjustable heel assemblies which enable shoes to be worn at multiple heel heights and, more particularly, to adjustable heel assemblies of the type which include a first heel member having an interior compartment and a second heel member at least partially receivable within the interior compartment for movement between at least first and second positions providing the heel assembly with respective first and second heights.
Currently available high-heel shoes for women have a relatively large heel which is fixed to the sole and have a single, predetermined height. This fact has some significant disadvantages for the wearer. In particular, individuals wearing high-heel shoes often experience fatigue or discomfort in their feet because the high heel requires the foot to be bent into an unnatural position. It is also known that prolonged wearing of high-heel shoes can lead to more serious foot problems. Furthermore, some women prefer to wear shoes with relatively low heels at one time of the day, for example, while commuting to work, and then change to shoes with relatively high heels while at work and again back to the shoes with low heels after work.
In order to relieve foot fatigue or discomfort, prevent the development of foot problems or meet personal preferences, a woman is therefore compelled to change from shoes having a relatively high heel to another pair of shoes with a different, lower heel height. It is inconvenient to carry another such pair of shoes and the process of changing shoes is very time consuming.
Applicants have proposed several arrangements of adjustable heel assemblies in their U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,887,360 and 6,021,586, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, which include first outer heel members having interior compartments and second inner heel members at least partially receivable within the interior compartments for movement between at least first and second positions relative to the first heel member. Various locking mechanisms for releasably locking the heel members to each other when the inner heel member is at either the first or the second position are disclosed which releasably fix the heel assemblies to each other at either the first or the second position to provide the heel assembly with a respective first or second height.
These locking mechanisms are not, however, entirely satisfactory. Several of the illustrated embodiments provide the releasable locking of the inner and outer heel members to each other at only a single point so that during use, a concentrated, asymmetric force is applied to the outer heel member which tends to separate the outer heel member from the sole of the shoe and which tends to twist the inner heel member within the outer heel member.
Other embodiments are inconvenient since they require the user to simultaneously utilize two fingers or pins to apply force in coaxially opposed directions. This action is awkward to do while grasping the heel and moving it between first and second positions.
For example, the embodiment of the locking mechanisms of the adjustable heel shown in FIGS. 1C and 2C of applicants"" prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,586, utilizes two outwardly biased pins situated in axially aligned diametrically opposed bores in the inner heel member which lock the inner and outer heel members to each other at either the first or the second positions at which corresponding vertically spaced pairs of apertures are formed in the front and rear facing wall sections of the outer heel member, which align with the pins when the heel members are adjusted to one of the first and second positions. While this locking mechanism provides a two-point connection which uniformly distributes the force applied by the inner heel member to the outer heel member and avoids the tendency of the inner heel member to twist within the outer heel member, there are still disadvantages to this locking mechanism. For example, it is necessary to depress both pin members simultaneously to unlock the heel members for adjustment which itself is quite difficult, making it necessary to utilize two fingers to accomplish this simultaneous procedure thereby requiring each shoe to be removed from the foot. Moreover, at least one of the pins extending through at least one of the apertures formed in the wall of the heel member will generally be facing outwardly and be readily visible, along with the other vertically aligned aperture, thereby detracting from the appearance of the heel assembly.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved adjustable heel assemblies and shoes incorporating the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved adjustable heel assemblies of the type which include a first heel member having an interior compartment and a second heel member at least partially receivable within the interior compartment for adjustable movement between the two height positions, and shoes incorporating the same.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved adjustable heel assembly and shoes incorporating the same, having a new and improved locking mechanism which overcomes the drawbacks of prior locking mechanisms.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved adjustable heel assembly and shoes incorporating the same, of the type having inner and outer heel members, having a locking mechanism which is easy to use, which provides two points of connection between the inner and outer heel members, does not detract from the appearance of the heel assembly and which provides a simultaneous unlocking of the two points of connection with a single hand motion.
Briefly, these and other objects are attained by providing a heel assembly including a first outer heel member having an interior compartment, a second heel member at least partially situated in the compartment so as to be movable between a first position providing the heel assembly with the first height and a second position providing the heel assembly with a second height and a new and improved locking mechanism for locking the inner heel member at the first and second positions. The locking mechanism includes a pair of axially aligned bore regions formed in the inner heel member opening onto diametrically opposed outer surface regions of the inner heel member, upper and lower pairs of axially aligned cavities formed in the outer heel member, and an elongate rod member including first and second pin portions at its end regions. The rod member has a locking position in which the two pin portions are situated in the respective bore regions formed in the inner heel member and, depending upon which position the inner heel member is in, either the upper or the lower pair of cavities formed in the outer heel member. The rod member is movable to an unlocked position in which one pin portion is removed from its respective bore region in the inner heel member and the second pin portion is situated entirely within the other bore region of the inner heel member. A slot formed in the wall of the outer heel member between two of the vertically spaced cavities is receivable of the portion of the rod member between the pin portions and permits movement of the inner heel member between the first and second positions with the locking pin in its unlocked position. Biasing means in the form of a spring bias the rod member towards the locked position, and grasping means are provided at one end of the rod member to enable the rod member to be grasped and pulled in an axial direction from the locked position to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the spring. This new locking mechanism provides a secure two point connection of the inner and outer heel members to each other and can be unlocked with a single hand by the wearer grasping and pulling on the elongate rod member to move it from the locked to the unlocked position.